Here's what our Mentor Faculty are saying about IPSL . . .

​"Those who currently hold or aspire to hold senior roles in the public service will appreciate the eternal and continuously relevant perspectives on the intersection between the political service & public service that are brought forward by this unique program."

"The IPSL program offers a very special opportunity to participants. Political and managerial worlds are often two solitudes, each with its own values, norms and customs. IPSL brings those worlds together with an integrated, insightful and effective program that will help you meet the challenges faced in the public sector."

"These practical stories of experience, told by those who understand the complexity of working in the public sector, resonate nationally, regardless of jurisdiction, and help to accelerate the learning of those who strive to improve their managerial and policy skills as public servants."

Here's what IPSL program attendees are saying. . .

I thought the program was very engaging and effective. As I move up, it’s harder to feel comfortable asking questions to get insight because it becomes much more competitive and far less collaborative. I enjoyed hearing/learning from the former ADMs and DMs the most because it felt more practical and useful to my daily practice. I’ve worked for a number of ministers over the years and know their individual temperament drives a lot of expectations. I thought the pre-reading was most useful.”​ ADM

Some of the lessons were easy for me based on experience . . . but some really helped fill in my swiss cheese gaps of knowledge. ​ I’d kill to have Harry Swain as a mentor! He was hilarious and honest.”​ Executive Director​

The course was excellent – I like the dynamic of having 3 panel members with different views and perspectives – either because they had been in different positions or just different situations. Having former ministers there was super interesting to me.”​ ADM

I think the presenters were fabulous and their stories are super interesting and informative. Much of it was a great reminder of how things “really” work.”​ Executive Director

As an aspiring ADM, and someone who wants to contribute to the best of my ability as an Executive Director, I can say that I was able to make use of the advice I heard after each session. I am more confident now as I interact with those at the political level because I was able to gain insight into what senior executives were thinking in real life situations. I recommend this program to those who are interested in a behind-the-scenes look at how this work is done by those with mastery in what to watch out for.”​ Executive Director

My team attended as a group which meant we were able to discuss our learnings after each session. As well as taking full advantage of the excellent materials in the Resource Room, this approach added another layer of value to the program and allowed us to sharpen our skills even further. We continue to remind each other of advice we heard in the sessions.”ADM

I’ve been participating in this course and just wanted to pass on how excellent I think it is. This is the kind of highly practical and relevant real world advice that is missing from much management training. I appreciate how finely tuned the material is to the challenge of executive leadership in the public service. The examples are great. Thank you and keep it coming.”​ADM

Making a mid-career change into the public service requires learning a unique culture that doesn’t have parallels in the private sector and leaves one with a lot of questions. This course goes a long way towards answering many of them, even ones you would never have thought of asking. I feel I was able to benefit from the hard won wisdom and experience of the presenters.” ​Fall 2017 Participant, Senior Executive

I found that the course brought together an exceptional group of speakers and it was clear that they put some real thought into providing their insights to the class. I also think these kinds of conversations are critical for new ADMs to be a part of. ” ​Fall 2017 Participant, Senior Executive

“It is a rare opportunity to access such a well-structured series on leadership in the public service, not just the theory we see in typical programs, but the practical and exciting/gritty reality of what public service leadership is really about.”​​David Morhart​Former Deputy Minister, Service Alberta, and,​Past President, Institute of Public Administration of Canada.